The Licensing and General Purposes Committee of Barnet Council met on Thursday 7 November 2024, approving a revised Licensing Policy for 2025-2030 and noting the Council's health, safety, and wellbeing performance for 2023/24. The committee also agreed on priorities for health, safety, and wellbeing for the next two years and approved proposals for polling districts and places, recommending no changes to current arrangements.

Annual Health, Safety and Wellbeing Report

The committee received the annual Health, Safety and Wellbeing report for 2023/24, presented by Mike Koumi, Head of the Safety, Health and Wellbeing Service. The report detailed the council's performance against key metrics, including accident reporting, audit results, and staff training. While there was a slight increase in reported incidents, this was attributed to improved reporting of near misses and verbal assaults. Performance audits showed significant improvement, with compliance scores rising from 70% to 89-90%. Key priorities for 2025-2027 include reducing days lost due to stress-related illness and musculoskeletal injuries, improving building compliance monitoring in schools, and implementing actions from the Workplace Wellbeing Action Plan. Members raised concerns about the high number of verbal assaults and stress-related incidents, which were noted as common issues across the public sector and national trends. The committee resolved to note the council's performance and agree the priorities for the next two years.

Revised Licensing Policy 2025-2030

Ella Smallcombe, Head of Consumer and Public Protection, and Ash Shah, Service Manager for Trading Standards and Licensing, presented the revised Licensing Policy for 2025-2030. The policy, which is statutorily reviewed every five years, had undergone public consultation, with 24 responses received. Discussions focused on cumulative impact zones, particularly in relation to Burnt Oak, and the council's approach to tackling issues such as male-dominated cafes and anti-social behaviour. Members expressed concerns about the low number of consultation responses and the need for more robust enforcement. The committee approved the revised policy and recommended its adoption at the next full council meeting.

Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places 2024

John Bailey, Head of Electoral Services, presented the report on the statutory review of polling districts and polling places. For the first time since 2014, the review recommended no changes to the current arrangements across the borough. While some concerns were raised by residents, particularly regarding parking and accessibility at Millbrook School in Mill Hill, the Electoral Services team assessed that alternative venues would disadvantage more electors. The committee resolved to note the representations received, approve the Returning Officer's proposals for no changes, and continue the practice of annual interim reviews.

GLA Election May 2024 and UKPG Election July 2024 - Election Projects Review

John Bailey presented a review of the planning and delivery of the GLA and UK Parliamentary elections. The report highlighted the challenges posed by new legislation, such as voter ID requirements, and the short notice of the UKPG election, which necessitated a change in the count venue to the RAF Museum. Despite these challenges, the elections were reported to have run smoothly and efficiently. Issues with late postal vote deliveries were noted, primarily attributed to Royal Mail, and robust processes were in place for re-issuing postal votes. The report concluded that electoral processes were secure, transparent, and accurate, with the Hendon constituency result being particularly close. The committee noted the report, acknowledging the significant effort of the Electoral Services team.

Committee Forward Work Programme

The committee noted the forward work programme, which included a revised schedule of meetings to consolidate items into two longer sessions.

The meeting concluded at 7:46 pm.